/// DIVEMASTER INTERNSHIP IN BUNAKEN – WEEK 2 REPORT FROM STEVEN

08 Dec / 2013

Lots of excitement in Bunaken this week as usual, both in and out of the water!

Initially, my week started off on a bad note with visa issues. Let this be a note to all who are doing their Divemaster course, get your visa renewal done early. I had thought that it would be a quick process, and it would have been relatively so, if only I had gotten the wheel moving earlier. After I turned my papers into the front desk late last week, I was told the process would take longer than I had expected.

Mid-day Monday, while I was working on skills in the pool, I was told my first visa was overextended. I would now have to go to the immigration office in Manado for processing. Fair enough, I’ll just get on some comfortable clothes and go on a little trip to Manado. Shouldn’t take long, right? Wrong! After getting to the immigration office in Manado and waiting for about an hour in my shorts and sandals, I was told my attire was “not polite” and “disrespectful”. Cue another two hours of processing, and the immigration officer told me that their computer systems were not operational and I would have to come back the next day to finish my papers. You can bet that I did not make the same mistake twice. Armed with a nice button-up shirt and my jeans, I headed to Manado again the day after. Luckily, the second day did not take half the time. They said their computers were still down but because I was wearing nice clothes, they would take care of the paperwork for me. Whew…. Now back to diving and onto some actual fun, finally!

The diving in Bunaken has consistently been wonderful! Turtles, rays, and orangutan crabs, O my! Every dive brings something new to the table. It has been great to see my diving improve since I arrived. Thankfully, the tedious pool skills are now done, and I am diving more in the deep blue! It’s wild how quickly the time has flown and it’s crazy to think that I am almost done with all of my classes. I have yet to take my final DM test and finish my Deep and Night Diving specialties, but the end is so close I can taste it.

Tonight Two Fish is throwing a Christmas party for the guests, so off I go for more fantastic times. Cheers!